Frequently Asked Questions

First things first…

• How the hell do you pronounce ichorbio?

In hindsight it was probably a stupid name to go for but we’re stuck with it now :-D.

• But why, why did you call it ichorbio?

ichor is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology. As our antibodies are used in vivo we thought that it was a clever name and we liked the idea of creating marketing material with Greek gods on it.

Now we have a name that no-one can pronounce and no Greek mythology anywhere on our marketing material!!!

Ordering Questions

• Can I get a free sample?

Unfortunately, ichorbio does not offer free samples. All our clones are highly cited and well validated.

• Are discounts available?

ichorbio offers one low price for all our customers – academia, non-profits and industry all pay the same price. Bulk discounts are however available – please contact [email protected] to describe your requirements in greater detail.

• How do I request a quote?

Please send an email to [email protected] and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

• How do I place an order?

The easiest and quickest way to order is through our website, although we do accept purchase orders with 30 day payment terms.

• Do you have a distributor in my country?

Product Questions

• Are you really 30% cheaper than Bio X Cell?

The price differences are dependent on three factors:

a. Bio X Cell has price levels dependent on if you’re working for industry or academia.

b. Their pricing for their ultra-low endotoxin products is more than their low endotoxin products

c. Their best sellers are more than their standard products.

So depending on where you work and what product you’re looking at the difference in our prices could be much more than 30%! Please click here for a full comparison between ichorbio and Bio X Cell.

The usual price caveats apply such as Bio X Cell may change their pricing at any given time / offer limited time promotions. But as much as possible we do try to keep our comparison webpage up to date. If you’re still unsure just ask Bio X Cell & ichorbio for a quote when you’re ready to order so you can compare side by side.

• Which PD-1 antibody should I order?

ichorbio has created a webpage which documents all of our anti-PD-1 antibodies. If you have any additional questions please contact one of our technical staff at [email protected].

Related to this we’ve also created a webpage

• What is the difference between low endotoxin and ultra-low?

ichorbio manufactures two formats for in vivo use: low endotoxin and ultra-low endotoxin. The ultra-low format has higher purity, lower endotoxin, lower aggregation and is tested for pathogens related to the animals they will be used in.

More information on the differences can be found here.

• Where can I get the Datasheet / MSDS for my antibody?

ichorbio is committed to reducing our environmental impact and so no longer include our datasheets and MSDSes in our shipments. Our datasheets can be directly downloaded from our website; please contact [email protected] to receive a MSDS for any of our products.

• How does ichorbio ship its products?

For shipments within the USA we ship our products in sustainable cotton mailers and with biodegradable ice packs.

International shipments are sent in insulated cardboard boxes with biodegradable ice packs.

• How do I store ichorbio’s antibodies?

Please always follow the storage information listed on our datasheets. Our products are guaranteed for a year only if they are stored at the correct temperature.

• What is the shelf life of ichorbio’s antibodies?

Our antibodies are guaranteed for a year, but if they are stored at the correct temperature they should last for a lot longer than that, seeing a low reduction in efficacy.

• There is precipitate in my antibody solution

Environmental conditions such as temperature variations, freezing/thawing, shaking during transport, and long-term storage might lead the appearance of a precipitate or floccule in the antibody solution. This is not uncommon. The floccule is typically buffer salts precipitating out of solution or a small bit of protein aggregation. If gentle, repeated inversion of the vial should remove the precipitate. If not, we recommend removing the floccule by either filtration or centrifugation.

For filtration we recommend using a sterile 0.2 μM luer lock syringe filter. For centrifugation we would recommend transferring the antibody solution to a sterile centrifuge tube (do not centrifuge in the provided cryo vial) and centrifuging at 10k rpm for 5 minutes. We would suggest filtration over centrifugation since centrifuging may allow the sample to warm up for a longer period than filtration, which can be done very quickly. Regardless of what method is chosen you should use sterile filters, syringes, tubes, etc. and work in a biological safety cabinet to ensure that the solution remains sterile.

Rest assured that the precipitate can be removed with these methods without significant protein loss. If you are concerned about loss after centrifugation or filtration you can check the protein concentration after centrifugation or filtration and compare it to the concentration on the supplied CoA.

• What’s the best way to dilute my antibody?

Sterile 1x PBS matching the exact pH of the antibody formulation can be used.  It is important to match the pH of the dilution buffer to the antibody solution to avoid aggregation.

When diluting we recommend using cold buffer and maintaining sterility by working in a biological safety cabinet and using sterile pipet tips, tubes, syringes, and buffers.

Diluting antibodies to working concentrations and storing at 4°C for more than a day should be avoided.